


The Toast

by Laika_the_wife



Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Epilogue, Even's Grandma Is Cheeky, Flowergirls Eskild and Magnus, Fluff, Love, M/M, POV Even Bech Næsheim, Speeches, Toast, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, bring a tissue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 16:32:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13907943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laika_the_wife/pseuds/Laika_the_wife
Summary: This is an epilogue for Dress Rehearsal. It will work as a standalone thing of fluffiness, but it will totally spoil DR. So if you're thinking about reading that, don't read this before you're done.





	The Toast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skamsnake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skamsnake/gifts), [Tuii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuii/gifts).



“I had always thought, that every man - and woman, equal opportunities you know - is the director of their own life. They are creating their own story, casting every person they ever interacted with in their appropriate roles. Antagonists, lovers, companions, sidekicks, the background people giving scenes lifelikeness - everyone has their part to play. But Isak Valtersen absolutely refused to be cast as anyone but The One. Some people might say his behaviour was unhealthy and stalkery and at least irresponsible, and those people are sort of right, but they do not know half of it.

“I tried. I tried to protect Isak, from me, from the evil that was Even Bech Næsheim. I was well aware of all the hearts I have broken just by being careless and carefree. I have known that I am bad news to all who shine even a glimmer of innocence, and Isak Valtersen was basically a ball of innocence wrapped in complicated layers of neediness and pain. I might have told myself otherwise but I knew, from the first meeting, that Isak would fall for me, and bad.

“So I told him, repeatedly. I told Isak that I was a slut. A notorious one! I also lived up to that reputation. I directed our relationship towards the physical. I even made an ultimatum, telling Isak he shouldn’t come back until he was ready to fuck. I hoped that Isak would come back. Because I was weak. Because despite all my orders against myself I had started to get very, very invested in that boy.

“I do not believe in destiny. I believe in action and reaction, and cause and consequence, and in circumstance, but not destiny. When Isak finally came to surrender his body to me, that lovely, lovely body of his, and when his heart just couldn’t take it, I knew. I knew that powers larger than my understanding were telling me to leave the boy alone. So I did. I really, really tried to. But Isak had nowhere else to go, and I couldn’t just kick him out. I should have, but I could not. It was easy to not do anything about Isak though, all I had to think about was the boy’s fluttering heart, and take pity in it. I was all about easy.

“Isak would not have it easy. He remained an unfinished business, bothering at the back of my head, whispering into my dreams. I tried to keep it cool, I was starting to feel the familiar itch, the velocity my mind was reaching for more and more regularly. I knew I was at the brink, at the edge of a hypomanic episode, and for Isak’s sake I tried to hold on. I really imagined that this time I could.

“As you know it, that backfired splendidly.

“For some reason, Isak stayed. I did not know it then, but he had already chosen the part he was going to play in my life. I tried to get out, to push him away, I did everything and everyone I could to protect him, to protect that magnificent, innocent boy. Little did I know, that he had already survived far worse than what I could ever throw at him. That he was still surviving it, constantly, relentlessly, just  _ surviving _ so powerfully that nothing could hinder that. I have never in my life met anyone as strong, or as brave, as Isak. Or as bold! He had the nerve to first get his friend give me telling off of my life - sorry mom, you have  _ nothing _ on Eskild on that front - and then get my own friend stop me from dying as the consequence, and because  _ that _ was not enough he broke into my home and refused to leave before I promised to survive with him. And this was after I had given him chlamydia.”

“Okay that’s it, stop.”

Even looked up from his papers, at Elias sitting across him at the kitchen table.

“You cannot talk about giving Isak chlamydia at the reception!”

“Huh. I suppose you’re right. That’d inspire grandma to tell about her wild days at the ports. I still have trauma from when she decided to show us kids her scars.”

“I’d also leave out the bits about you being a slut and giving Isak a heart attack by fucking him.”

“That’s not what I said!”

Elias shrugged and grinned.

“That’s how I remember it. And, dude, are you sure you want to make this toast a speech about you two being mentally unstable?”

“We  _ are _ mentally unstable! Just very well medicated!”

Elias didn’t budge. He kept repeating that detailed descriptions of a history of reckless behaviour caused by mental illnesses were not something to bring up at your gay wedding reception, when you’re marrying someone you’ve known for a bit over a year. Even rummaged through his stack of papers where he had written his toast speech, his Ode to All Things Isak.

“How about the part where I tell how I have never actually tried to be faithful to anyone before Isak and how simple I noticed it to be, not least thanks to Isak’s enthusiastic approach to experimenting in the bedroom?”

Elias just stared at him. He rolled the page into a ball and threw it away.

“I have a paragraph here about him saving me right back?”

Elias nodded.

“Let’s hear it.”

“My favourite love story was Pretty Woman. In that masterpiece of cinematography and screenwriting, a wealthy man buys the company of a broke prostitute for a week, falls for her and saves her. Just like --”

“Are you about to compare Isak to a prostitute, Even?” Elias interrupted.

“It’s a reverence, not a reference!”

“Dude. No. Don’t make me quit as your best man on your wedding day.”

“Fiiiiine. What should I say, then? I can’t go just with ‘I love you’ and if I’m left to improvise it will not work out well.”

“You’ve been working on this for a week and it’s not working out either, you know.”

Even leaned back on his chair and pouted. He had worked really hard on his speech and he was sure Isak’s was going to rock his world. He just wanted everyone to know how incredible it was. That they were both here, and alive, and together, and how much of it was owed to Isak.

“Let me take a look”, Elias said. “Of the whole thing. I’ll mark the good parts and we’ll cut and glue you a toast speech, okay?”

Even sighed. And handed the stack of paper to Elias.

“Have you read this through out loud? How long did it take?”

“About forty five minutes, give or take five, depending on how long people laugh at my jokes.”

“Okay we’re scratching this thing altogether. Sorry. Read it to Isak on your first morning as a married couple, if he’s willing to marry you I’m sure that’ll drop his panties like nothing else.”

“Is he actually going to wear lingerie for the wedding?!”

Elias looked a bit shocked. The he shook the mental image off.

“Don’t know, don’t care. Please tell me you’re not.”

“Lace chafes my delicate areas. I’m not walking down the aisle scratching my balls.”

“Oh, the blessings of small things.”

“They are  _ not _ small.”

“Just get the pen and paper ready, please. We have about half an hour before we must go.”

A bit over half an hour later Even was standing on his place, nervous. He had taken half a pill just so he wouldn’t flip out mid-ceremony. He might have needed a whole one but he didn’t want to risk not remembering the whole thing, either. Though he was sure all he would remember was how nervous he was feeling and how much he loved Isak. Elias grabbed his shoulder and leaned in to whisper, asking if he was okay. He nodded. He was okay. He asked if Elias had the rings. He did. They were ready. He was ready. He was so, so ready. He was going to marry the shit out of Isak..maybe it was good that he had written his speech together with Elias, after all.

The doors opened. Even fixed his posture, pulling his shoulders back and all. He was waiting. He was ready, anxious, he was still half convinced that this was either a dream or about to go wrong in a variety of ways. When he saw Eskild and Magnus in full flower girl gear, white poofy dresses and all, throwing pink and gold fake petals from their baskets, he knew that one, he was totally marrying the right man, two, his husband to be had an excellent taste in friends and three, Isak was the sweetest thing ever to share his spotlight with others. Grandma seemed to agree, mom had to scold her for trying to use her cane to lift up Magnus’ skirt to see his legs better. Luckily Magnus didn’t seem to notice or mind.

Then he saw Isak and his head stopped working. He became all heart, and he was lucky that he couldn’t feel his legs either, because he would have run to Isak immediately. But he couldn’t, and he didn’t, he stood still and waited in awe, when the most amazing person in the universe walked towards him, his chin a bit pressed down, his smile a mixture of pure light and shyness. He looked amazing in his suit. If he had wanted to wear a dress, or Even to wear a dress, it would’ve been totally fine by Even, but he was not the least disappointed in seeing Isak in that suit. Especially in those pants. He looked so..grown up. He looked like the man he was supposed to become. He was beautiful.

They had talked about if someone would walk Isak down the aisle. Lukas was mentioned frequently, and he probably would have been honoured to, but finally Isak had decided that he’d walk on his own. “Nobody’s delivering me. I’m giving myself to you, and that’s that”, he had said and Even had been so ridiculously happy that he would have agreed to anything.

“Hi”, Isak whispered when he reached Even. Even offered him his arm and he took it.

“Hi.”

Even didn’t remember anything about the ceremony. He only remembered that he loved Isak so very much and that Isak was beautiful. And that his hands shook when they exchanged rings, but he didn’t drop anything.

After the Kiss Isak pressed his forehead against Even’s.

“We’re husbands now”, he whispered, exhilarated. He was so happy that it could be heard in a whisper. Even had to laugh silently, he just had to, there was no other choice.

It took a while to get past the sea of congratulations and hugs and love, and pack all of that into the cars, but finally they were all at the reception and it was time to make the toasts. Even’s father made one first, telling them to take care of each other and remember that a relationship was a labour of love. It was a great speech, and Even had to dry his eyes a bit when it was over. He sort of missed Elias’ speech, because he was suddenly so nervous about giving his own. It fit on one piece of paper, the size of a playing card, and he had carried it in his pocket and was now hiding it in his palm, reading it over and over again in his head. People around him laughed and Isak kissed his cheek, Elias must have cracked a good joke. He was a funny guy. And the best best man he could have asked for.

When Elias was done Even was about to stand up but Isak beat him to it. He got up and Even looked up to him. He was so beautiful.

“I tried to make a speech”, Isak said, just a bit too quietly for speech giving purposes. “But I’m not a writer. Or a talker, really.” Everyone chuckled. Jonas was so proud of Isak, he was beaming, Even could see it from the corner of his eye. Then Isak looked into his eyes and everything else disappeared. “I love you, Even. People keep saying that love is hard or it takes work, but loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life. And it feels strange that for something so easy I’m given such a great reward as you are.”

Isak’s voice cracked and he sat down, wiping his eyes. Even kissed him, everyone cheered. He held Isak’s face between his hands and kissed him again. He stood up, it was his turn, he looked at the card in his hand. He showed it to everyone and threw it over his shoulder.

“I love him. Thank you.”

He sat down to kiss Isak one more time. And one more. Then one for the road. And the last one. Then the final one. Through all those kisses he could hear the music start playing. He grabbed his husband and pulled him with him to the dance floor, for their first dance. After the first verse and chorus he felt someone tap his shoulder. It was Jonas, who had come to steal him from Isak. His mother had appeared on Isak’s side and took him to dance with her.

“Nice speech”, Jonas grinned. Even shook his head.

“I couldn’t have topped his, ever.” He was leading. Jonas was following surprisingly well. “Thank you. For keeping him around for me.”

They both looked at Isak who was struggling a bit, trying to lead his mother in law. They had only practiced dancing so that Even was leading and Isak following him.

“If you dare even think about making him hurt --”

“I promise you. I won’t. Ever.”

Jonas nodded. Even directed him with his palm and made him do a little twirl for him. People laughed and applauded when he pulled Jonas back to him.

“Seriously. If you ever need anything, anything at all, I’ve got your back.”

“Just make sure you’ve got his.”

The song ended, they all took a bow, and after the round of applause the DJ dropped the beat and the dance floor was filled with people. Even made his way to Isak.

“I hope mom didn’t give you a hard time.”

“Not half as hard as I suppose Jonas gave you.”

They laughed. They kissed. They were married now. It had been a whirlwind of a year, with all the good and all the absolutely shitty and terrifying, but it had been theirs. And now all of the remaining years would be theirs as well. It was a dizzying thought, and so, so easy. With Isak, everything was easy. They were wearing matching rings and had signed the documents and been officially wed, but their true bond had formed over a year ago. It had formed when a really scared boy had gone to a very lost one, and done something incredibly brave.


End file.
